Inbreeding

Inbreeding is the mating of closely related individuals, such as siblings or cousins, which increases the likelihood that offspring will inherit identical copies of the same genes from both parents. This genetic duplication can amplify harmful recessive traits that would normally remain hidden, leading to health problems, reduced fertility, and other negative effects in the resulting offspring. In nature, most animals have evolved behaviors to avoid inbreeding because genetic diversity from unrelated partners produces healthier, more resilient populations.